Kenya Airways plans to launch its first services to North America, South America and Australia by 2017, making it one of the few carriers to serve every inhabited continent.

Kenya Airways plans to launch its first services to North America, South America and Australia by 2017

Kenya Airways plans to launch its first services to North America, South America and Australia by 2017, making it one of the few carriers to serve every inhabited continent. While these three continents will give Africa’s currently fifth-largest airline by seats a global presence, its future is pegged on Asia, with the carrier over the next 10 years planning to launch seven new routes into China, six in the Indian Subcontinent and three across North and Southeast Asia as well as having a growing presence in Europe and the Middle East. It is poised to become Africa’s largest carrier.

Growth will be fuelled by Africa’s status as a burgeoning market, as well as reliance on partners: KenyaAirways will open routes to SkyTeam member hubs in Xiamen (Xiamen Airlines), Hanoi (Vietnam Airlines),Seoul (Korean Air), Moscow (Aeroflot) and Prague (Czech Airlines). The intercontinental focus follows Kenya’s strong emphasis on regional Africa, with the carrier aiming to serve every African nation by the end of 2013.

With the carrier intending over the next decade to add 60 destinations in 32 countries while more than tripling its fleet to 107 aircraft, almost half widebodies, Kenya Airways will become a formidable force and help to finally bring African aviation into the world’s limelight. Its strength along with that of Ethiopian Airlines will shift the continent’s focus from South Africa, home of traditional heavyweight South African Airways, to East Africa, giving the two carriers network opportunities but also creating a competitive rivalry – a welcome addition for a continent that for too long has played in the world’s shadows.

Kenya Airways’ growth is part of its strategic management plan called Project Mawingu, named after the Swahili word for clouds. And that is where Kenya Airways is aiming for: clouds, not the stars. Growth projections are high, making additional destinations and frequencies, beyond this initial plan, very likely, especially in the latter half of the decade. As ambitious as the plan may seem – in the last 10 years the carrier went from 30 destinations to 55, but in the next decade will increase to 115 – it is not entirely bullish but instead represents the start of African carriers taking a greater place on the world stage as the continent finally starts recording continuous high growth….